Relationships Between Value Orientations and Wildlife Conservation Policy Preferences in Chilean Patagonia

Abstract

Conflicts over wildlife conservation in protected areas can occur because stakeholders hold divergent values and value orientations. In this exploratory study, differences in value orientations among visitors to Chile’s Tamango National Reserve (TNR) were examined. Questionnaires were completed by visitors (n = 97) during the Chilean summer of 2012. Respondents were grouped into strong protection (63%) and mixed protection–use (37%) value orientation groups using cluster analysis. Mixed protection–use group members were more likely to be local residents, less formally educated, less likely to pay the reserve entry fee, and less supportive of huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus) conservation policies compared to the strong protection group. Most TNR visitors would support policies that protect wildlife in the reserve, and development with deleterious effects on the huemul would be viewed less favorably. It is suggested that a post-material shift and place relations moderate relationships between value orientations and Chilean wildlife conservation policy preferences.